NEW DELHI, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Ukraine on Friday, extended an invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit India.
Modi is making the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine as India tries to find a balance in its relations with old ally Russia and pro-Western Ukraine amid the ongoing military conflict.
Zelensky bitterly criticised Modi in July for hugging President Vladimir Putin when the Indian leader travelled to Russia for their annual leadership summit.
Ukraine and its Western allies are unhappy with India's huge trade with Russia, including its burgeoning oil imports.
India's Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in a media briefing, spoke about the "back and forth" discussions between Modi and Zelensky in Kyiv.
"There was a lot that we said, which he (Zelensky) heard with a great deal of attention. He knows that we mean well for Ukraine, and that we are eager for this conflict to come to an end," Jaishankar said.
The minister said Modi extended an invitation to Zelensky to visit India.
"We expect at some point, as per his convenience, President Zelensky will visit India," he said
-- BERNAMA
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